The Jade Arrow
by Torie46
Summary: Losing her mother, stepfather, and brother Owen was the worst thing that could have happened to Anna Post. But when Oliver Queen takes her into his home and trains her as a new hero she's given a reason to keep living. Never mind that her father Cayden James is causing havoc with his band of villains, but isn't this what they call teenage rebellion against your father?
1. A Part of Your World

The Jade Arrow

 **Summary: For Anna Post, losing her older brother Owen and her mom and stepfather, Jim was the worst thing that could happen, but when she met Oliver Queen, it gave her a reason to go on living as a young hero trying to save her city from people like the Black Siren and Cayden James. Never mind the fact that Cayden James is her father.**

* * *

Chapter 1- A Part of Your World

Anna Post walked into the school's gymnasium, relieved that her studies were over for the day. Owen, her brother had basketball practice and would drive them both home when practice was over. At fourteen, Anna was a Freshman at Star City High School in the Advanced Honors courses, but her mother said she and Owen got their smarts from their dad, Cayden James, who while they knew he was their father, had never really lived with either her or Owen. Owen said he remembered when Cayden was married to their mother, but their parents had divorced two months before Anna was born. For some reason her mother and father had kept their marriage a secret and had lived in different houses. Her father had claimed it was for her mother's, Owen's and Anna's protection. While that story might have worked when Anna and Owen were both five, it didn't work much now.

Anna felt her stomach growl. She wondered if Owen was willing to go out for Big Belly burgers or Taco Bell when practice was over. Owen was a human garbage disposal and would eat anything Anna suggested, with the exception of okra. Owens was talking with his friends on the basketball team. It was probably about the game tomorrow night as it was the finals. Anna didn't care much for basketball, but because it was her brother playing she would show up in support, which was more than she could say for Cayden. With his job as the president of Helix, he didn't show up 90% of the time to either Owen's or Anna's school events. She had been in the play " _The Miracle Worker"_ as Annie Sullivan and her father had forgotten to show up last fall. Jim, her stepfather, had had to record the play so her father could actually watch it.

"Hey, Owen. Hey, guys," Anna greeted Owen, Billy Corbin, and Tommy Wilton.

"Hey, Post, it's your cute little sister," Tommy teased flirtatiously. Tommy always flirted with her. Tommy was one of the few guys who didn't consider her a stupid Freshman and a waste of breathing space.

"Yeah, it's me, Tommy. But don't you have a girlfriend to be jealous that you're talking to me?" Anna asked, wrapping her arms around Owen's shoulder.

"Hey, she's not as cute as you, Ann," Tommy said in his best Fonzie expression.

"Knock it off with the Fonz expression and don't call me Ann," Anna said, rolling her eyes.

"Owen! Anna!" A voice said behind them. Anna turned to see her father come into the gym and walk to them.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," Owen said as he and Anna put all attention on their father. To a lot of people Cayden was a geek with glasses, but to Anna he was still the dad she had wanted to marry when she was four, a fact that caused her father to laughingly tell her that girls don't marry their daddies.

"Hi, Dad," Anna greeted her father and kissed his cheek.

"Hi, Dad," Owen said by way of his own greeting, but he was too macho to hug and kiss his father like Anna did.

Cayden wrapped his arm around Anna's shoulder, tucking her into his side. He gently rubbed up and down her arm with his fingers. "Hey, that was quite a game," Cayden said, using a falsetto voice that he used often when he lied to either Owen or Anna. By this point in their ages Anna and Owen could usually tell when their father was being less than honest.

"Please, don't lie, okay? I could see that you weren't in the stands. Mom and Anna told me that you didn't show," Owen said, sounding slightly upset, a fact that their father didn't miss if his face was anything to go by.

"Where's your mother now?" Cayden asked calmly, maybe a little too calmly.

"She and Jim went to have dinner at some fancy French restaurant. Ergo, leaving me and Owen to fend for ourselves for dinner. Jim got some promotion and that he wanted to treat her," Anna said raising her light eyebrows slightly.

"That's considerate of him," Cayden said with barely concealed jealousy. Cayden had made no secret that he didn't like Jim married to Anna's and Owen's mother and that Jim could tell Anna and Owen what to do. But then again, their mother had said that Cayden had lost the right to be their father when she divorced him.

"Dad, stop," Anna said.

Her father shrugged lightly and looked at Owen apologetically. "So sorry I missed the game, Owen. I got delayed at work," Cayden said as he and Anna walked to Owen.

"Is that what we're supposed to call your weirdo hacker group?" Owen scoffed, his tone full of sarcasm.

"The work we do is important. It benefits people all over the world," Cayden said. Anna felt like rolling her eyes and scoffing herself at that obvious lie. Her father never knew that she had inherited his hacking skills and she had hacked into Helix one night, just to see what her father thought was more important than a school play or Owen's basketball game. From what Anna saw, it looked like a golden opportunity for her father to end up on _America's Most Wanted._

"Yeah, work you won't even tell me and Ann about," Owen said.

"As I've said, that's for your protection. Look, I know I'm not the easiest person in the world to talk to, but I do want to be a bigger part of yours and Anna's life. I truly do," Cayden said, hugging Anna briefly.

"Well, you can't have it both ways, Dad. You can't say you want to be a part of our lives and keep us out of yours. Owen, can we go get something to eat? I'm starving. I forgot to eat lunch today since I had a paper due in my world history class," Anna said, letting go of Cayden and walking to her brother.

"Sure. Big Belly okay?" Owen asked.

"Sure," Anna said as they walked away.

"When are the finals?" Their father asked.

Owen and Anna stopped walking. "Tomorrow night," Owen said, without even turning to look at Cayden.

"I will be there. I can't share with you and Anna all the details of my work, but I vow to do a better job of sharing your lives; and that begins tomorrow," Cayden said with firm finality.

Okay, we'll take your word for it, Dad. I'll even hold a seat for you next to me, Mom, and Jim. But please, don't lie to us again," Anna said, walking back to her father. Cayden gently touched her face with the back of his hand.

"I promise, Sweetheart, you will see me here," Cayden said, pressing a warm kiss to her forehead. It was the same kind of kiss he gave her when she was little and fell, skinning her knees. If Anna had had any foresight she would have seen that this day was what changed her life forever.


	2. The Basketball Game and Life Ends

Chapter 2- The Basketball Game and Ending

Anna brushed her teeth quickly. Jim had said that they were on a timer as Owen's game was about to start. Jim was a stickler for being punctual to anything and everything. One way he and Cayden weren't alike. Cayden was always late. (An oddity since his cell phone had a clock.) Jim had been in the army and acted like it would kill him to be late for anything. He even went so far to freak out if Owen and Anna were late coming home from school. Anna's thoughts then went to Cayden. Anna hoped her father would keep his word and show up like he had promised, but her mother had told her not to hold her breath on that one. Cayden had a bad track record for promising to do something and then not delivering on his word. Her mother had made that point quite clear as she was always angry at Cayden for the four or five years they were married and he had kept things from her.

"Anna, it's time," Jim said, knocking lightly on the bathroom door's open doorframe.

"Coming," Anna said, her voice muffled from the toothbrush in her mouth. She spit out the toothpaste and rinsed her mouth. Anna ran to her room to pick up the latest Colleen Coble book she had started and her next "Star Wars" book. Anna figured between the car ride and how often Owen sat on the bench she could finish "Lonestar Homecoming" and start "The Truce at Bakura."

* * *

Cayden stood outside the gym, watching Owen playing basketball. He had promised Anna and Owen that he'd show. They just hadn't realized that he wouldn't come inside to watch the game. Unknown to his children, Cayden did show up for school events and he either would sit in the back row or outside the gym like he was doing at this moment. He had seen Owen win basketball games and Anna playing Annie Sullivan in " _The Miracle Worker._ " Cayden wished he could let his children live with him, but they were better off living with their mother and Jim.

Cayden looked at his girl. Cayden had always loved his daughter. She was the one most like him in personality and looks. Owen had taken after his mother's side of the family with his height and nearly black hair. Anna's eyes were blue like his and her hair was a rich brown like his hair before he started going gray. He knew Anna was disappointed that she rarely ever saw him at events. He also knew that Anna had hacked into Helix one night last fall. Cayden had put a web tracker on his daughter's and son's computers that alerted him when they were on the internet. While Cayden had been hurt and disappointed that his girl would spy on him, he understood her reasons and hadn't shown her that he was angry. Cayden looked with pride as Owen passed the basketball and Anna, Silvia, and Jim cheered with the other people in the bleachers.

"Cayden James?" A voice behind him asked. Cayden turned to see two men in suits. The one who spoke held up an Argus I.D.

"I was told to expect you. Warned, in fact," Cayden said conversationally as if he was ordering dinner or taking his clothes to the cleaners.

"Mr. James, we're here to remand you into custody for multiple violations of federal law. We strongly advise you not to resist," the agent said.

"My only son is playing in this game and I promised my daughter I'd be here. Could I perhaps watch it before you take me in so I can keep my word to Anna?" Cayden asked, indicating the basketball game and looking at Anna briefly. Cayden smiled briefly. Anna was eating a hot dog with relish, her cheeks bulging from the huge bite she had just taken and the fact that she had loaded the dog down with mustard, ketchup, cheese, and pickled relish; enough toppings to give her father dyspepsia if he thought about it long enough.

"That's not how it works," the man said. ( **A/N: I think they should have let Cayden finish the game. At least Oliver would have taken Cayden to see Owen's grave. Which is more than I can say for these wombats.)**

"I'm just asking for a few moments. A little compassion here," Cayden said.

"I strongly suggest surrendering peacefully to avoid a scene in front of your children," the agent said as his partner revealed his gun, attached to his side.

"There's no need for that," Cayden said in a defeated voice as he had his wrists handcuffed behind him and they led him to their van. Cayden looked out the window as his boy made a basket and Anna cheered. The car drove away, with Cayden feeling like he would cry.

* * *

Anna sat in the library at the high school, next to Owen working on her last math problem before turning her attention to the project on one of the gods in mythology. Everyone had to pick a god or goddess in any kind of mythology and make a poster board picture of it and write a report. Anna had planned to write hers on Thor, the god of Thunder. After seeing Thor with Jim and Owen, she found the story interesting, not to mention that every girl in the high school thought Chris Hemsworth was gorgeous; Anna included. ( **A/N: This particular project, my own sister did when she was in school, but she picked an Egyptian goddess and not Norse.)**

Anna capped her pen and opened up the book in front of her to Mjolnir, Thor's hammer, before realizing she was famished. "Owen, I'm going to the vending machine. You want anything?" Anna asked her brother, who was working on his term paper on Winston Churchill.

"Yeah. A Sprite sounds good," Owen said, not looking up from a source card he was writing.

"Okay. Be right back," Anna said going out into hall where the coke machines were. Considering they would eat after doing their projects, Anna didn't need to buy chips or candy bars. They were going to stop at the Mellow Mushroom to eat pizza before heading home. ( **A/N: A place I have eaten at. For those who don't know what it is, it's a retro pizza place with a 1970's theme.)**

Anna put in the money for Sprite and a Dr. Pepper. relieved that neither drink was sold out. The machine spent more time being out of drinks and forcing her and Owen to drink Pepsi or something diet, two choices that Anna found disgusting.

Anna walked into the library, holding the sweating coke cans in her hands. "Owen, they had Sprite," Anna said, setting the drink by her brother. "Owen?" Anna asked again when her brother didn't answer. Anna looked up and her blood siphoned out of her veins. "OWEN!" Anna screamed. Her brother's chest had an arrow sticking out of it, his arms hanging loosely. Anna stood on shaking legs and put her fingers to Owen's pulse. There was none. Anna's face went pale and sobs rose into her throat as she ran out of the library, tears blinding her vision. Her brother was dead and her mother needed to know.

Anna had never walked Star City at night, but her mother and Jim would understand the reasons she did so now. Anna felt a cold chill. The door to the townhouse was partly open, something that was a major sin with Jim at night since Star City had it's share of criminals. The Green Arrow had been protecting everyone for the last four years, but that didn't stop criminals. Anna went into the house, her heart going to her feet. Her mother and Jim lay on the floor in pools of blood.

"Mom? Jim?" On close examination her mother was like Owen and Anna could feel a faint pulse on Jim. Jim opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Anna? Your mother?" Jim asked faintly.

"Don't talk, Jim. I gotta get you to a doctor," Anna said, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"Don't be afraid, Anna. You...you've always been brave," Jim said his voice getting fainter.

"Jim, don't go. I need you. I'll be all alone," Anna said. Jim reached up, touching her face gently.

"I...I...I...love you, Anna," Jim said and his head fell back and his hand fell from Anna's face. Anna felt like Edith Frank in a version of Anne Frank that came on TV and Anna had rented from the library that Disney had done. When the Nazis had stolen Edith's daughters Edith broke down, sobbing uncontrollably; something Anna did now. In three unmerciful strikes she had lost her family and she had no idea where Cayden was. She hadn't seen him in four months since he had failed to show up at Owen's basketball game. Anna wondered if his friends at Helix knew where he was. She remembered her father mentioning someone named Shech who worked for Helix. She even wondered if Helix was open this late.

Anna stood up morosely and made her way to the phone. She had to call the police first to report the murders. When the First Responder answered Anna put the receiver on the coffee table and ran up to her room. She would get out of the house. Whoever had done this to her mother, Jim, and Owen was probably close by and Anna had to get out before she was next.

* * *

Cayden had lost all sense of time. It had been four months since his arrest and the Argus agents had questioned him every day on his activities. Cayden thought of Owen and Anna. His children were probably very angry that he hadn't made any contact with them, but this wasn't his fault. If he ever got out he would have a hard time convincing them that he had been arrested.

Cayden couldn't see a thing through the hood they had put on his head, but he knew someone was entering the container he was in. The doors were very loud and squealed open as if they were coated in rust. "If this is another feeble attempt to extract information from me I warn you I will continue to invoke my Fifth Amendment protections," Cayden said as the agent removed the hood. It was the same agent who had arrested Cayden at the basketball game and he looked at Cayden with something akin to remorse In his eyes.

"I'm very sorry to have to tell you this, Mr. James, but your son Owen and your ex-wife and her husband were all found murdered last night," the agent said. Cayden looked at him uncomprehending. Owen, Sylvia, and Jim all murdered? What did that mean? And Anna? Where was Anna? Then the fact that Owen was dead hit him.

"No, my son's only eighteen and my daughter fourteen," Cayden said.

"Your daughter is still alive. She was with Owen last night and when he was killed we think she was the one who placed the call alerting people to your ex-wife's and her husband being killed. We have no idea were she is now. Anna Post has completely disappeared," the agent said, his words barely registering through Cayden's grief.

"No, no. Who would want to hurt my boy?" Cayden asked, his voice heavy with tears.

"I'm afraid we don't know. We are trying to find your daughter. We'll bring Anna to you when we find her. I am truly very sorry, Cayden," the agent said before leaving the container. Cayden sat there in numb shock. His son was dead and Anna missing! His girl was wandering all over Star City. Right now he wasn't thinking of trying to escape. He hoped the agent was telling the truth about bringing Anna to him. The city was far too dangerous for his girl to be wandering around by herself.


	3. New Life and Cayden's Discovery

Chapter 3- New Life and Cayden's Discovery

 **A/N: This chapter deals with how Anna finds her way to Oliver Queen and how Cayden gets the footage that shows Oliver "Killing" Owen.**

* * *

Anna felt her insides turn. It had been days since she had last eaten and she had tapped out the limit on her mom's and stepfather's credit cards. It had been four months since Owen, her mother, and Jim had been killed. Anna had refused to go back to the house, taking her chances on the streets and at the homeless shelters that Star City was famous for. Word on the streets was that A.R.G.U.S. was looking for a girl named Anna Post, but nobody was able to figure that the girl dressed like a hobo and a ratty fedora was her. Apparently the clothes she had found in some dumpster worked perfectly in hiding her from view. Also nobody on the streets or in the shelters had asked her name. Smelling as bad as she did from not showering recently, Anna couldn't really blame no one for not wanting to be near her.

Anna looked out at the bustling crowd. The mayor, Oliver Queen, was supposed to be giving a speech today, an act that Anna felt was driving her to this sin. Stealing was wrong; Sunday school when she was five had told her that. She wondered if she could beg from people in the crowd. Begging had to be better than stealing Oliver Queen's wallet. Anna felt her stomach growl unmercifully. It was the type of hunger that was really painful. Anna had never been this hungry in her life. Even when times were tight she had never been without food. The alimony her mother had received from Cayden and later Jim's paychecks and Owen's job at the grocery store had always provided food.

Anna eyed a huge buffet table, her mouth watering at the huge platter of fried chicken and a big bowl of mashed potatoes with gravy. It looked like either Kentucky Fried Chicken, Popeye's, or Bojangles had supplied the food for this feast. The sight of all this food and not being able to touch it made her so miserable, tears came to her eyes. "Are you all right, little girl?" A man of average height in a suit asked. The man looked as if he had a day's growth of beard, but no hair. He had a pleasant look to his face. Of course the thing that terrified her worse was the badge clipped to his belt. A police officer was the last thing she needed right now.

Anna started to back away, glad the fedora shaded the fear that she was sure that was in her eyes. "Hey, it's all right. I'm not gonna hurt you. My name is Quentin Lance. I'm a detective. I help people. What's your name?" Quentin asked.

"Anna. Anna James," Anna said with a brief falter in her voice. It wasn't completely a lie as "James" was her father's last name and, by rights, it should have been hers. If this detective worked for A.R.G.U.S. there was no way Anna was gonna say her name was "Post."

"That's a pretty name. Are you hungry?" Quentin asked, his air that of a man who was used to talking to kids. He must have had kids of his own.

"Yes, Sir, but isn't it the mayor's?" Anna asked timidly.

"It is, but I know Oliver Queen. He won't mind if you want to eat. I'll even fix you a plate," Quentin offered.

"Why are you being so kind to me? I'm nobody," Anna asked.

"I have daughters. You look no older than fifteen. I remember when my girls were that age," Quentin said with a smile. Anna felt tears rush to her eyes as Quentin fixed her a plate and then handed it to her. Anna felt her insides quake and churn at the pile of food. The last time she had had this much food was when Jim had taken them out for a buffet after church on the Sunday before her family had been killed. Saying a silent prayer of thanksgiving Anna tore into the chicken, never minding that she looked like a barbarian, eating her first meal ever.

"When was the last time you ate, Anna?" Quentin asked when the ravenous eating slowed and he had filled her plate again.

"Four days, I think?" Anna asked, making the statement a question.

"Four days?! Where are your parents?" Quentin asked. Anna felt nervous about that question. She would tell the truth; just not the whole truth.

"They're dead and I don't know where my dad is," Anna said, fighting the tears.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Look, can you stay here? I want to talk to Oliver about you. He's been wanting to help a kid stay off the streets. You don't look as if you like your life and if you are willing to try it, would you want to?" Quentin asked.

"I guess so," Anna said as Quentin walked away and up to Oliver Queen, who wore an expensive suit and tie. Anna had no clue that this was the start of a new life for her.

* * *

Anna followed Oliver and a huge man, that Quentin had introduced as John Diggle, into a huge mansion. Anna's eyes nearly popped out of her head. It screamed that someone rich lived here. "So, what do you think?" Mr. Diggle asked, his tone revealing another man who knew how to talk to kids.

"It's nice. I think you could fit my stepfather's townhouse into this place," Anna said, looking around.

"Would you like to see your room?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, sure," Anna said, following Oliver to a bedroom the size of a landing field. Anna whistled under her breath. It was hard to think that anyone could be comfortable in this room, but the cheery yellow wallpaper made it comfortable.

"This okay?" Oliver asked.

Anna removed her fedora and scratched her dirty brown hair. "It's perfect," Anna said with an awed smile.

"I think you need a shower. I'm gonna call my sister, Thea and my girlfriend, Felicity and we'll see about getting you some clothes. What size do you wear so I can tell them?" Oliver asked.

"Uh, a size 8, I think," Anna said. Her mom said that usually guys don't ask your weight or size, but Anna figured that if Oliver's girlfriend and sister were willing to buy her clothes, she might as well humor them.

"Um, what do you like for hobbies?" Mr. Diggle asked, reminding Anna of his presence.

"I read a lot," Anna said.

"What do you read?" Oliver asked.

"History, romance, and science fiction," Anna said.

"What kind of romance?" Mr. Diggle asked.

"Christian romances," Anna said. ( **A/N: That is the only romances I read. People usually put a piece of themselves in every character. Anna and every character I write is like me when it comes to books and book choices.)**

 **"** What kind of history?" Oliver asked.

"I like American history only up to the Civil War, but I prefer British, French, Russian, and Holocaust history," Anna said..

"What kind of science fiction?" Diggle asked.

"Star Wars." Is there any other kind?" Anna asked dryly.

"I guess not. Any other hobbies?" Oliver asked just as dryly.

"I like music and movies," Anna said.

"Okay. I'm going out. I'll tell Raisa, my cook, to give you some of Thea's old clothes for when you get out of the shower. You look about the same height as she was when she was 14 or 15. Raisa usually puts clothes we have outgrown up in the attic. Her underclothes and pajamas should work until Felicity and Thea get here with your clothes," Oliver said.

Okay. Thank you, Mr. Queen," Anna said in a small voice.

"Hey, my name is Oliver. Some people call me Ollie. Mr. Queen makes me think you are talking about my dad," Oliver said with a grin.

Anna gave a brief smile as he and Diggle left. Anna sat down on the soft bed and bounced slightly. The bed was very comfortable. It was one of those beds called a waterbed. If her bed would be like this Anna could get used to this. Before Anna knew what was happening, she was fast asleep on the bed, still in her ratty street clothes.

* * *

Cayden sat morosely in his small cell, seated to a chair, his hands handcuffed. In the four months since Owen, Sylvia, and Jim had been killed Cayden had lost all enthusiasm for ever leaving this place. His enthusiasm had waned even more when the A.R.G.U.S. agents had returned fruitless in their search for Anna. Cayden's heart broke at the thought of his daughter wandering the streets without her father's comfort to soothe her own possibly broken heart. When she was three and she had fallen and skinned her knees, it was so easy for him to leave his computer, scoop his girl into his arms and have her sit on his lap, burrowing her small head into his chest as she cried huge crocodile tears. Cayden would wrap his arms around her, kiss the top of her head and tear-streaked face and wipe her face with a linen handkerchief.

"Oh, Anna, where are you? Do you still know that Daddy loves you?" Cayden whispered softly, the tears falling unchecked down his face.

Cayden felt his insides twist as the door to the container squeaked open. The agent who had arrested him came back every day at this time. The way Cayden figured it, the man must have thought Cayden was broken and crushed since hearing about Owen being killed and Anna missing. The man proved to be more sympathetic and had told Cayden he knew how he felt since he had children of his own. "Hello, Cayden," the agent said.

"Have you found my girl?" Cayden asked as he had every day for the last four months.

"We came close to finding her. She frequents a soup kitchen. The people who run it have supplied information that a fifteen-year-old girl matching Anna's description comes there once a week to eat and take a shower. She wears clothes that she found in some dumpster and a fedora. The owners said she always looks as if she's a scared rabbit about to bolt. She always looks over her shoulder. Cayden, she was at a speech that Oliver Queen was giving. I think he took her home with him. He said that he wanted to get some kid off the streets. Your daughter is a good choice," the agent said.

"I see. What are you doing?" Cayden asked surprised as the agent unlocked the handcuffs around his wrists.

"My boss has determined that you are a model prisoner, so he has told me to unlock your handcuffs," the agent said.

"Thank you," Cayden said.

"You're welcome. Oh, and my boss has said you can have mail delivered. This came for you this morning," the agent said, handing Cayden a package with his name on it and leaving the container, flipping on a light that flooded the container as he closed the door.

Cayden tore open the package. It was some kind of computer. Cayden flipped open the computer and a surveillance camera showed him Owen and the Green Arrow. Cayden's grief turned to anger as he saw the Green Arrow with his bow and arrow and the arrow killing Owen.


	4. The Mayor's Ward and School

Chapter 4- The Mayor's Ward and School

Anna straightened the tie around her neck. She had been living with Oliver Queen for four days and besides going shopping with Felicity Smoak and Oliver's sister Thea, Oliver had lowered a new boom on her. She had to go to school. And not just any school. She had to go to a private school, which involved school uniforms. Anna had always been a loner at Star City High School, with the exception of going out to eat at Big Belly with Owen. She was perfectly content to hide out in the library during lunch, reading books about Tudor England, wondering how she'd look in an Elizabethan dress. Now she had to go to a new school with a bunch of stuck-up snobs.

"Anna, are you ready to go?" Raisa asked, coming into the room. In four days Raisa had proven herself as much like a mother as Anna's had been.

"I'm not used to wearing a tie to school, Raisa. I only did it once during school spirit week and I borrowed my stepfather's. I feel like I could hang myself with it," Anna said, blowing out her breath and looking at the tie critically in the floor-length mirror.

"You'll get used to it. Oliver and Thea did. Now Oliver is going to take you to school. It's only fitting since he is your guardian. But first you eat breakfast," Raisa said as she escorted Anna out of Anna's bedroom. Anna's school shoes clumped noisily down the hall. No one would have worn these at public school. They were too bulky. It was like wearing steel-toed shoes. Anna had checked the shoes to make sure they weren't steel-toed. After finding out they weren't, she came to the conclusion that they had to be composite-toed.

Oliver was at the table with John Diggle, both men drinking coffee. "You look good," Oliver commented.

"Uncomfortable is more like it, Oliver. I've never worn a tie to school before," Anna said sitting down to an English muffin with turkey sausage and cheese on it. In four days Raisa had also proven to be a health nut. At the moment Anna was craving a Big Belly burger, not a whole wheat English muffin with imitation sausage and cheese.

"Well, it is the school uniform. Here, I think you're going to need lunch money," Oliver said, handing her five dollars.

"Thanks," Anna said, putting the money in the pocket of her pleated skirt, another thing she had never worn to school. She had worn either khaki slacks or blue jeans to school.

"That should cover most of this week, with the exception of Thursday and Friday. Also on Friday the school lets its students wear regular clothes. You look as if someone is shooting you and I'm thinking it's because of the clothes," Oliver said lightly.

"You must be a mind reader, Oliver, or one of the X-men. That is exactly what I am thinking. Like I told Raisa, I could hang myself with this tie. I can't believe I let myself be talked into this," Anna said, jerking at the tie, wishing she could jam it down the garbage disposal. It wasn't like the school could expel her for not wearing it, could they?

"Anna, you have to wear it. There are a lot of things in life that we have to do that we don't like to do. I know the tie is uncomfortable and you are probably not used to wearing a skirt to school, but it'll get easier," John said in a soothing voice.

"That's what my dad would say. I kinda wish he was here right now," Anna said ruefully.

"What happened to your dad?" Oliver wanted to know.

"Don't know. He promised the last time I saw him that he'd be there for a school event and he didn't show and that was the norm for him. He never showed for school events, but it's as if he disappeared off the face of the Earth. I read what Harrison Wells wrote about different Earths and his quantum particle generator that made the metahumans, but I doubt my dad went to one of those realities. I mean, isn't the portal for that in Central City where the Flash is?" Anna asked.

"You would be correct. What's your dad's name? Maybe Felicity can find out about him," Oliver said.

"Cayden James. He ran a weirdo hacker group. I don't know much about it. Dad was really closemouthed about it. I think it's connected. I mean Dad disappears and my mom, brother, and stepfather all get killed practically in front of me and I never saw who did it," Anna said.

"I'll get Felicity and our friend Curtis on it. But now you have to go to school, Anna. Don't worry, he'll turn up," Oliver said in a consoling voice.

"I hope so. I'd love to ask him where he has been," Anna said, eating the last bite of her English muffin and the last swallow of orange juice.

"Here's your backpack. Raisa, we're going," Oliver called out. Raisa's voice was slightly muffled, but it was an indicator that she had heard. She was either in the laundry room or kitchen with her head in either the dryer pulling out clothes or cleaning the oven.

* * *

The school was like a huge plantation house. It looked freakishly enough like The set of _Gone With the Wind."_ Anna was thinking that if she looked hard enough she'd see Scarlett O'Hara, Mammy, or Rhett Butler walking across the grass and a loud rendition of the opening theme to the movie. The last time Anna had felt that way was when Jim had taken her, her mother, and Owen on a riverboat like the gamblers used on " _Maverick."_

A portly man with a tie came up to them. He was balding, but he looked like one of those lawyers in a film who wore a wig and a robe in England. "Welcome to Fenwood Hall, Mayor Queen," the man spoke with a precise British accent and briskly shaking Oliver's hand.

"You're Headmaster Lowton?" Oliver asked.

"Yes, Mr. Mayor, and this must be your ward, Anna James," the man said, turning to look at Anna.

"Yes, this is Anna," Oliver said.

"Well, the first order of business is getting Miss James enrolled. Now where have you been going to school, young lady?" Mr. Lowton said.

"Star City High," Anna said as he walked her and Oliver to his office.

"A public school. Did the school have clubs and programs?" Mr. Lowton asked, with barely concealed disdain over, what Anna could figure, the idea of public school.

"Yeah. I was part of the historical and literary societies. I also was a part of the Dramatics Society," Anna said.

"No sports like the swimming team or girl's baseball or girl's basketball?" Mr. Lowton said.

"Of course. We have quite a few here too that are like that. Of course we don't have any openings in the three societies you mentioned until next fall. For the moment your schedule will be World Geography, Algebra, English, and Physical Science. You may pick three electives from this list. Also your counselor will arrange a meeting for you to discuss your schedule next fall," the headmaster said, laying a list of electives in front of her.

"I pick Gym, Journalism, and Home Economics," Anna said, looking through the list.

"Those are good course electives. Now, Mr. Queen, you may leave Anna and a student aide will escort her to her first class," Mr. Lowton said and Oliver left.'

* * *

 **A/N: I am trying to figure when I want Anna to discover when Oliver is the Green Arrow. I'm leaning towards the idea that she'll find out when Chase kidnaps everyone at the end of season five, but should I have her find out sooner so she can be involved when Felicity and Alena rescue Cayden from A.R.G.U.S.? And if I do the latter where she can save her father how will she find out Oliver is the Green Arrow? I am open to ideas.**


	5. School Rules and Time Passes

Chapter 5- School Rules and Time Passes

 **A/N: Some of the rules of the school are going to be taken from the book _"Back Home"_ by Michelle Magorian as the school is run British fashion like that particular book. This is also when Anna sees Helix for the first time. **

It didn't take long for a prefect to show up to escort Anna around. All the prefects were Seniors with the worst case of the silver spoon mentality that Anna had ever seen. This girl with frizzy curly hair was exactly what Anna had been dreading since Oliver had first said she was going to a private school.

"So, are you Anna James?" The girl asked with a bored voice. Obviously she thought she had better things to do than escort the mayor's ward around the school.

"Um, yeah. Are you the prefect that's supposed to take me to algebra?" Anna asked in a small voice. Apparently the prefects at this school were good at making anyone in lower grades feel like they mattered less than the dirt.

"Yes and I should tell you now that "Yeah," is considered slang at this school. I won't report it as you are new and didn't know," the girl said in a prissy tone.

"Oh. Well, I am sorry. I didn't know like you said," Anna said with a slight wince as they walked to her first class.

"In between classes, I'll explain the rules to you. The first rule is you have to wear the full uniform every day with the exception on Friday. That day we can wear whatever we want as long as it complies with school rules," the girl said, talking as she walked.

"Don't all of you hate wearing ties to school?" Anna asked, practically running to keep up with the older girl, who apparently hated having to escort new students around school.

"You get used to it after awhile. What did you wear at that public school you went to?" The girl asked without stopping in her stride.

"Me and my brother, Owen, wore blue jeans, t-shirts, khaki pants, and turtlenecks, although I was the one who wore turtlenecks and button-down shirts. We also wore tennis shoes and I would wear loafers and flats," Anna said.

"With the exception of the tennis shoes, we can wear the loafers and flats. Tennis shoes are only allowed for gym. The headmaster also told you that school clubs are a must here?" The girl asked.

"Yes, but he also said that it was too late in the year for me to be a part of any. He said I will have to wait for the fall semester next year," Anna said.

"Here we call it terms as they do in England and he is right. But the counselor should be able to help you with your schedule when you go see her. Here we take foreign languages in our Sophomore year. And here we have a wide range of languages and even ones that a lot of schools won't teach like German, Mandarin Chinese, and Russian," the girl said as they stopped at a door.

"Heh, I guess I'll know something when I meet with my counselor," Anna said as she looked inside the classroom. Boys and girls were all in the class, talking to each other. Like all schools it had to be a clique that everyone was a part of. Anna wondered where she fit into all the snobs at this school or if there were any students that didn't have a spoon-fed mama and daddy's kid mentality.

A middle-aged woman with graying brown hair and glasses came up to her. Right away, Anna could see that her algebra teacher would be pleasant. "Welcome. I am Mrs. Harrison. I will be your algebra teacher, dear," the woman said, with a warm smile.

"Oh, hi. I'm Anna James," Anna said as the woman dismissed the aide and took her to a seat that was not in the back, but in the middle of an aisle.

"The mayor's new ward?" The kindly lady asked.

"Yes, Ma'am," Anna said as she put her new school books on her desk.

"Miss James, at this school, "Ma'am" is considered slang and disrespectful to adults in general. We call everyone by the last name. Mr. Dowen, will you please explain to our new student what words are not permissible here?" Mrs. Harrison asked a young man with horn-rimmed glasses and his blond hair stuck up in an Alfalfa hair-do.

"Yes. Mrs. Harrison," the boy said, his voice squeaking slightly. Apparently puberty was affecting his vocal cords. He sat down in the desk next to her.

"Hello," Anna said with as friendly a voice as she could muster.

"I'm Alistair Dowen. My friends call me Al," the boy said with a friendly look on his face. If he would ditch the squeaky voice and glasses Alistair might be considered kind of cute. Maybe he was what Cayden had looked like when he was younger, minus the blond hair.

"I'm Anna. My family and my brother's basketball friends called me Ann sometimes," Anna said.

"So, how many words do you know that are slang here?" Al asked.

"Only "Yeah," and "Ma'am." How many other words are slang here?" Anna asked.

"Hi," "Okay," and "Uh-huh" are considered slang. Here it is considered to say proper English and all the words you now know are slang are considered crude and only common people use it," Al explained.

"Oh. Well, Oliver, his sister, Thea, and the housekeeper, Raisa, didn't exactly tell me that there was a vocabulary list," Anna said with a slight wince.

"Probably because Mayor Queen didn't know there was a list. What did he tell you about the school?" Al asked.

"Only that it's private and we have to wear a uniform every day except on Fridays," Anna said.

"Well, yes to both. I guess he didn't tell you about the lunches. We have gourmet restaurants catering the cafeteria and today is French cuisine. They have Coq au Vin and crepe suzettes to die for," Al said as if that kind of food walked on water.

"I've never actually eaten French food. My mom liked it though. My experience is Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, and Greek. Me and my brother also ate a lot of Big Belly burgers, Taco Bell, and the Mellow Mushroom," Anna said.

"Sounds good to me. On Fridays they bring in those kind of restaurants too. We can eat Big Bellies on Fridays. I opt for the Mellow Mushroom a lot on Friday," Al said.

Anna went to work on algebra problems and all too quickly class was over and the prefect was taking her to her world geography class.

* * *

A month passed and school would be over very soon. It was spring and Anna was waiting outside for Oliver's girlfriend, Felicity. Felicity had said that Oliver was giving Anna money to go shopping for summer clothes and he had asked if Felicity could help her pick stuff out as he had no idea what to buy in the way of clothes.

Felicity pulled up and waved. "Hi, Felicity! You ready to go shopping?" Anna asked, putting her backpack in the backseat and getting in the passenger seat.

"Yeah, but first I need to meet a friend of mine. She's a hacktivist at some place called Helix," Felicity said, the word Helix freezing Anna's blood. _Helix! Dad's group of weirdos!"_ Anna thought. She wondered if Cayden would even be there or if he even knew that Owen, her mother, and Jim were dead.

"Hey, you okay? You just went as white as a sheet," Felicity asked.

"I'm fine," Anna said, trying to keep her voice from trembling. Chances are Cayden was there, but Anna didn't know what she'd do if Cayden wasn't there. While she had missed him, she was still angry that he had missed Owen's basketball game and hadn't shown up when her mother, Jim, and Owen were murdered. It had to be all because of him that she had been on the streets, dumpster-diving and fishing clothes and food out of it.

Felicity pulled up in front of a building with a lot of windows and glass doors. They went inside and Anna stood frozen, her blue eyes looking around at walls of computers. Anna had never seen this many computers outside of a Circuit City or Radio Shack. A girl with dark reddish-brown hair and glasses came up to them. "Hi, Felicity! Who's your friend?" The girl asked, looking at Anna.

"Alena, this is Anna James; Oliver Queen's ward. I'm taking her shopping for summer clothes as he doesn't know how to do it. He usually gets me or Thea to buy her clothes and Thea's busy and Oliver has a press conference dealing with the aftermath of Prometheus," Felicity said. Oliver had been working with a man called Adrian Chase who had turned out to be a serial killer. Anna had heard about it on the news she was watching for her World Geography class as Mr. McGowan wanted them to pay attention to world events.

"Yeah, we've been watching the news. A reporter says that Oliver is offering "Canned Platitudes," Alena said, turning to the wall monitors.

"Well, the question is, do we have anything?" Felicity asked.

"Manhunts aren't exactly is Helix's wheelhouse, Felicity," Alena said.

"Yeah, you helped me unmask Chase. Now we need your help trying to find the cretin," Felicity said stiffly.

"Well, from what you told me, they've got Homeland Security, the FBI, and A.R.G.U.S. working on this," Alena pointed out.

"Yeah, and last night Chase played them like _Maximum Force,"_ Felicity said snidely.

"I used to love that game," Alena said in a hushed voice. Apparently that game was a big one for people in the 90's and early 21st century.

"I know, I did too. Apparently it's seen better days. Point being, I was expecting you and Helix to come up with a fresh new perspective. Maybe pull out some new trick, something Chase isn't gonna anticipate," Felicity said disgruntled.

"Well, it would help not having to waste time reinventing the wheel," Alena said.

"You wanna know what intel they're working with?" Felicity asked.

"Getting into Homeland Security and the FBI is easy, Felicity. Their cyber sec is one really bad joke. But breaking into A.R.G.U.S.' network-" Alena started to say.

"Allow me, guys," Anna said, going over to a empty computer and sitting down.

"You know how to hack into a computer?" Felicity asked.

"Is the Pope Catholic? It's gonna be a few seconds and viola! The intel of Chase being in New Jersey came from an A.R.G.U.S. drone," Anna said as she typed fast on the laptop and information came up.

"Yeah? So?" Alena asked.

"So, the information was then sent to an unsecured phone," Anna said, looking from the computer to Felicity and Alena.

"Seems like a big-time breach in operational security. Wait," Alena said.

"Wait," what?" Felicity asked.

"What if Chase has a buddy inside A.R.G.U.S.? Someone who tipped him off, who pinged the unsecure cell phone?" Alena asked. Anna turned back to the computer, typing furiously. A picture of a man, named Jordan Pierce came up on the screen.

"Yeah. That would be him," Anna breathed softly.

"Yeah, I have something to do guys. I'll let you know when I find something," Alena said, leaving quickly.


	6. One Good Turn Deserves another and Truth

Chapter 6- One Good Turn Deserves Another and the Truth

Anna capped the pen in her hand. She had just finished the algebra test that her teacher gave every Friday. The test covered everything they had learned that week and usually John Diggle, Oliver, or Felicity would help her cram for the test. It was much like what Cayden and Jim would do when she or Owen had tests in school too. Anna felt a small margin of relief that at least she got to wear her regular clothes for these tests. Today she had opted for a yellow and brown plaid shirt, jeans, and a soft pair of short boots, with buckles.

Anna had twenty minutes to spare, so she pulled out _The Captive Bride_ by Gilbert Morris and _Rebel_ by Linda Windsor. She would finish the first and start the second before class was even over. The teachers didn't mind that she read books in class as long as she finished her assignments. When shy, quiet, Julie Davenport got caught reading _The Emerald Isle_ by Angela Hunt, the history teacher nearly went thermal as they were supposed to do a chart about the Middle Ages and not read romance novels. The teacher had lectured them for hours, saying that she didn't mind them reading as long as they finished class assignments first.

Anna found her mind going to Adrian Chase. She wondered how that was even going. It had been a few days since Anna and Felicity had gone to Helix, asking Alena for help to catch Adrian. She then wondered if Alena even knew Cayden and, if so, where he was. Anna hadn't seen him, but he could have been out doing a chore, although she had to wonder what a hacktivist considered a chore. She even wondered if Owen wasn't too far wrong when he called their father's group "Weirdos." Judging by Alena's appearance, Anna was inclined to agree with Owen.

The rest of the day went by quietly. Since starting school Anna had made friends with Al Dowen, Carrie Portman, and Rachel Howland and her twin brother Jonathan. Everyone there came from some rich family, but these four were the only ones who didn't act like a bunch of entitled snobs. They were all planning to go out to the movies on Sunday. These things like movies had to wait for Sunday as Carrie was Jewish and Friday was the start of Shabbat and she would be at the synagogue tomorrow morning and afternoon and Al and Anna would be at church on Sunday morning.

Anna had just finished at her locker, getting her gym clothes and the books she needed for the weekend. She had a paper due in her lit class on "Sense and Sensibility" and since she was almost done with the book, she could start the paper this evening. Anna stopped in surprise. Felicity was waiting outside and, by her face, looking really agitated. "Felicity, what's wrong?" Anna asked.

"You remember Jordan Pierce?" Felicity asked.

"Yeah. I helped you and Alena look him up. What happened?" Anna asked, putting her backpack in Felicity's back seat.

"Jordan Pierce was found murdered. The elevator he was on went out of control," Felicity explained.

"Okay. How does that happen?" Anna asked in a slow voice.

"The only way would be that the elevator would be hacked. You didn't-?" Felicity started to ask.

"No. I only hack desk computers, cell phones, and laptops. Elevators are not among the norm for me," Anna said.

"Okay. Good. Just checking," Felicity said a look of relief on her face.

"Did you consider Alena? She was with us when we discovered Jordan Pierce," Anna asked.

Hmmm, good point. Come on. Let's ask her," Felicity said and they got into her car.

* * *

This time Anna didn't even look around at Helix when they entered. If Cayden was there she would have heard her name from him. This time she and Felicity wanted to know if Alena or Cayden had committed murder. For their sakes Anna hoped they hadn't.

"Alena, what did you do? I have the code, Alena. I know your work. Curtis and me saw the footage. You hacked that elevator. You killed that A.R.G.U.S. agent-" Felicity said, in an almost screamed whisper.

"Just slow down," Alena said.

"Yes or no, Alena?" Anna asked sharply.

"Kind of," Alena said with a small voice and smile.

"Kind of? In what world does "kind of" work, Alena?" Anna asked, almost screaming herself.

"I didn't mean to kill him, I swear. I'd never knocked anyone out with an elevator before, and apparently there's a learning curve," Alena said

"Alena," Felicity and Anna both said faintly as if they couldn't believe it.

"I need you both to hear me out for one second," Alena said.

"You murdered someone," Felicity said.

"Accidentally, and for a good cause," Alena said, sounding so self-righteous it was ridiculous.

"I can't believe we're hearing this, Anna," Felicity said, apparently on the same page as Anna.

"Cayden James. He's the most skilled hacker the world has ever known," Alena said, the words like a lightening bolt to Anna's heart. _Dad,_ Anna thought, feeling slightly dizzy. Now she would find out what happened with her father.

"If he was I would have heard of him," Felicity said, confirming that Oliver hadn't told her or Curtis to look up Anna's father.

"No, you wouldn't have, because he's just that good. He's a ghost. He's also the person who formed Helix," Alena said. _No kidding. How many times he forfeited a relationship with me and Owen for this place,_ Anna thought sarcastically.

"What does that have to do with-" Felicity started to ask.

"Eight months ago he was scooped up by A.R.G.U.S. Not arrested, not charged, just taken. And now he's being held without cause. Being tortured, who knows what else. And I had to take this off that A.R.G.U.S. agent so we can free him," Alena said, with what looked like a chip key in her hand.

"Alena, you killed someone," Anna said.

"Before you and Felicity get too judgmental, know you're gonna help me free Cayden from wherever A.R.G.U.S. is holding him," Alena said stiffly.

"Why would we do that?" Felicity asked.

"Because before he was taken, Cayden was working on a biometric tracker that could recognize a heartbeat. Powerful enough to scan anywhere in the world," Alena said.

"Anywhere Adrian Chase is," Felicity said as Alena held out the chip key.

"One question, Alena. What was Cayden doing the night he was taken?" Anna asked.

"He was at a basketball game at the high school. We all told him not to go because of A.R.G.U.S., but he said he had made a promise that he'd be there," Alena said, nearly causing Anna's heart to stop and the blood to drain out of her face.

"Oh, lord, he kept his promise," Anna said in a soft voice that was close to tears.

"Anna, what are you saying?" Felicity asked.

"He made that promise to me, Felicity. Cayden James is my father. The last time I saw him was the day before he was taken. He promised me that he'd show for my brother's basketball game. Alena, is this Cayden?" Anna asked, pulling out a picture of her, Owen, and Cayden on her fourteenth birthday.

"Yeah, that's him. You are his daughter?" Alena asked in a sense of awe.

Yeah. I was so angry. I thought he had lied to me and Owen. Felicity, we have to save him. Please," Anna asked as tears streaked down her cheeks and she sank onto a chair as she started to cry much as she had the night her mother, Jim, and Owen were killed.


	7. Making Plans and Secret's Out

Chapter 7- Making Plans and Secret's Out

Felicity stood at a work station typing and Anna sat at what Alena said was Cayden's station before he was arrested. Anna had already gone through her father's desk. "Cayden never told anyone that he had a family," Alena said.

"I know. Dad was kind of private that way. He never told me or my brother anything about Helix. He said it was for our protection when we asked him about it. Why does A.R.G.U.S have him, Alena? What did he do?" Anna asked.

"He hacked into their server and let's just say that A.R.G.U.S. didn't like it," Alena said, a little too brightly for Anna's liking.

"Just let me talk to my friends at A.R.G.U.S. Maybe we can negotiate for Cayden's release," Felicity said, grasping at straws apparently. Felicity turned to look at Alena as she laughed.

"Sorry. It's just funny, you know? "Negotiate with A.R.G.U.S," Alena said, taking a sip of the tea she had in her hand.

"They can't be made to see reason, Alena?" Anna asked as she stood.

"No. I'm thinking your father probably tried to reason with them and it didn't work," Alena said.

"Seriously, I really think it will. Just hold off on taking the second key," Felicity said.

"A.R.G.U.S. won't even admit they that they have Cayden. Besides plan's already in motion," Alena said with a smug, self-contained smile.

"What did you do?" Anna and Felicity asked at the same time.

"Don't worry. I hired professionals this time," Anna said in what she apparently thought was a calming voice.

"I'm worried," Anna muttered under her breath.

"Professionals?" Felicity asked, looking as nervous as Anna felt.

"One casualty was enough for this girl's conscience," Alena said, looking at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Like mercenaries?" Felicity asked, raising her eyebrows.

"You really can buy anything on the internet," Alena said, taking a drink of tea.

Felicity's cell phone then chimed. "Well, are your internet thugs headed to Port Talbert? Because they're about to have some company," Felicity asked as she looked at her phone.

"Felicity, you might want to call Oliver and Mr. Diggle to ease off. The last thing that's need is the Green Arrow and his friends tailing them and possibly getting killed by mercs," Anna said.

"Wait, you know? Felicity asked.

"Yeah, I know. I heard you, Oliver, Mr. Diggle, and Thea talking about it one night and I was also curious to why he sometimes wasn't home late at night and then hear about drug busts or thieves being stopped," Anna whispered.

"All right. I'll call them. Hey, John, I know you have to protect that agent. I know you have to protect her, but I need you to let those guys get away with her security key," Felicity said a few minutes later. A five-second silence followed. "Do it, John! I have a reason which I will explain," Felicity said as she hung up.

* * *

Anna stood in wonder in the bunker. So this was the Green Arrow's lair? Oliver seemed to accept that Anna now knew his secret and, to Anna's relief, Mr. Diggle and his wife Lyla hadn't questioned why she was there. Felicity so far had done most of the talking. "It's the only way to catch Chase," Felicity said.

"No, it's not. But even if it were. at what cost? Agent Ditkoff could've been killed," Lyla Diggle disagreed.

"No, the team was there to make sure," Felicity said, indicating Oliver and Mr. Diggle.

"She could have been killed, just like Agent Pierce," Lyla said.

"We told you that was an accident," Anna said.

"And now, two keys are in the wind, and A.R.G.U.S. is vulnerable. What were the two of you thinking?" Lyla asked angrily.

"That we need to catch Chase, no matter what. Guys, a little support here," Felicity said, looking at Oliver and Diggle.

"Might be crossing a line, Felicity," Oliver said.

"Well, you're the last person on Earth that gets to give that lecture, Oliver. Or second to last. And don't tell me that you don't make morally questionable choices so that I don't have to. I have to," Anna said, looking at Oliver, Diggle, and Lyla in turn.

"No, you don't, Anna, you don't have to. Lyla's right. There are better ways for us to find Chase," Diggle said.

"Chase has been in the wind for a week. He was trained by Talia al Ghul. He knows how to stay in the wind. What other leads do we have? How else are we gonna bring Adrian Chase to justice unless A.R.G.U.S. lets go of Cayden James?" Felicity asked, looking at Lyla.

"Not a chance," Lyla said.

"Then our only choice is to help Helix," Anna said as she and Felicity walked away from the computers.

"Your only choice? Felicity, Anna, I thought we were on the same side here," Diggle asked.

"No, John, me and Anna are on the side that's gonna put Chase away, so that he can't hurt anyone ever again," Felicity said as she and Anna turned to walk away again.

"Hey, Felicity, Anna," Oliver called after them.

Let them go, man. Now is not the time," Diggle said as Anna turned back.

"And, Mr. Diggle you might wanna ask your wife who Cayden James is. How he was at a basketball game and she locked him up with no due process or trial. You might want to ask how many laws she has broken just to hold my father. How many civil rights she has trampled on," Anna said as she walked out of the bunker.


	8. Information and Trying to Convince

Chapter 8- Information and Trying to Convince

Lyla Diggle held up her tablet that held information. "Meet prisoner 38085, aka, Cayden James and that girl, Anna's, father," Lyla said.

"What are you holding him on?" Dig asked, grabbing the tablet from his wife.

"He's a person of interest," Lyla said.

"So, no crime, I'm guessing no trial either," Dig said in a slight accusing tone that Oliver had heard before.

"Do you have something you want to say to me, Johnnie?" Lyla asked, apparently knowing when Dig was accusing too.

"Not right now, Lyla. Me and Oliver have to talk to Anna and try to make her see that you are the reason why her father disappeared," Dig said.

"After Anna lost her family, we promised Cayden James that we would bring his daughter to him. Despite what the two of you think, I never wanted to hurt a little girl," Lyla said with some steel.

"There's something we're not considering. What if Felicity and Anna are right? They might be right. We give James a terminal, we make him find Chase, and then we hand him back to Helix and give him his daughter back," Oliver said.

"I know you want Chase off the board, Oliver, but Cayden James is as dangerous as a loose nuke. I can't put him back in play," Lyla said, apparently deciding to be obstinate.

"Helix has compromised your security. And now they have hired mercenaries that are gonna go after A.R.G.U.S. to get James out. And Felicity told me that Anna knows how to hack into a computer. She has gotten that skill from her father. She could find out where you are holding her father and can decide to go after him with Felicity, Helix, and the mercenaries," Oliver said.

"Which means we go after them first. Curtis has intel as to where their base of operations is," John said.

"And we'll be going in completely blind. We have a greater chance of success if we let Helix come to us," Lyla said.

"Wait, Lyla? You wanna set a trap for Helix and use James as the bait?" John asked with a stunned look on his face.

"I don't think I need to tell either of you how dangerous Helix is. This is our chance to take them down. This is happening with or without your help. I'll let you boys wrap your head around that," Lyla said as she walked away.

"We have to get Felicity and Anna out of Helix. We can't let them get involved in this," John said in a low voice.

"You mean any more involved. We knew they was into something. We knew it was bad. We just let them get in deeper," Oliver said.

"Oliver, grief can make people do crazy things. No one knows that better than you and me. Anna lost everyone in her family with the exception of her father. And Felicity- I'm not the one she was gonna marry," John said.

"What's your point?" Oliver asked, taking his hand from his face where he had been rubbing his eyes.

"My point is- Oliver, look, maybe we should have talked her and Anna out of Helix. Maybe not. I don't know. But the point is, we're here now and you're the only one they will listen to," John said, after sitting down.

"I am not sure how much credibility I have with her or Anna," Oliver said.

"You all three want to catch Chase, right? You have that in common. Which tells me you are the only one who can pull them back from the brink," John said, his words making sense to Oliver.

* * *

"Are you ready, Ann?" Felicity asked at her apartment later that evening.

"Yeah. I guess so. Felicity, thank you for helping me find Dad," Anna said as she picked up her laptop.

"You're welcome. Do you really believe your father could help us find Adrian Chase?" Felicity asked.

"Maybe. This is my father and Alena did say he built a biometric scanner. I'm not opposed to the idea of Dad doing that. A biometric scanner is probably not any harder than hacking into a server," Anna said as she picked up her jacket with her other hand.

"All right. Let's get going," Felicity said, going to her door. She opened it to reveal Oliver standing on the other side.

"Oh, hi," Felicity said, her surprise evident on her face.

"Hey," Oliver said by way of greeting as he looked at Felicity and Anna.

"Nice of you to use the front door for once," Felicity snarked.

"May I come in, please?" Oliver asked.

"Actually, Anna and I was just leaving," Felicity said.

"I can see that," Oliver said and waited a long moment.

"Sure," Felicity said, letting him in.

"Looks like you and Anna are not sitting behind a keyboard for this one," Oliver said as he walked in.

"Can you blame us, Oliver? If it was your dad, wouldn't you do anything to save him?" Anna asked.

"No, I can't. If it was me, I'd probably be doing the same thing you are doing Anna. I, more than probably anyone else, understand what it's like to be willing to do whatever it takes to stop Chase . And the fact that Cayden James is your father makes me understand it even more. You are trying to save your father," Oliver said.

"Then, let us do it," Felicity said.

"Let me just tell you both how I'm seeing things. You both are willing to do whatever it takes to stop Chase, because I was willing to do whatever it takes to save this city and that created him," Oliver said.

"Okay, so it's ironic. That's what it is," Felicity said.

"It doesn't have to be. You see, we can think of another way to find him, and then we can find another way to stop him," Oliver said in a condescending tone.

"Okay, how? The SCPD tip line? No, that's not gonna work this time, Oliver, All three of us know that. Look, this is our only chance," Anna said, feeling tears burn her eyes as she thought of her father being held prisoner and that his biometric tracker could help them.

"And this is me asking you as your guardian, Ann. Don't do this," Oliver said.

""For the past four years, I have watched you do whatever you had to, whatever it took, to stop the people threatening this city. How can you stand there and not ask me and Anna to do the same thing?" Felicity asked, sounding angry.

"Because, over the last four years, you, more than anyone else has seen the toll it has taken on me," Oliver said softly.

"And I told you-" Felicity started to say.

"And I understand, I agree that I should not shelter you both from making hard decisions. But you wanna talk irony? Fine. You are willing to sell your souls to destroy a threat I created. How did-" Oliver couldn't finish his thought.

"One of the reasons I fell in love with you is because you are always willing to do what was right, no matter what the cost. Even if it's unbearably hard. It's what makes you, you. So how can I be any different? You have sacrificed your soul for the team, for the city, and for me. You don't have to carry that burden any longer. Let me and Anna do it," Felicity said.

"Felicity, I...I can't," Oliver said.

"Then you will have to stop us, Oliver," Anna said. Oliver nodded his head as Felicity and Anna made their way to the door.


	9. Mission Plans and Moral Complications

Chapter 9- Mission Plans and Moral Complcation

Oliver didn't have to tell anyone that his mission to talk Anna and Felicity out of going after James had failed. "They're going to do it. Anna feels that since Cayden James is her father, she has to. She even asked me if it was my father, would I do anything to save him," Oliver said dejectedly.

"Oliver, that little girl is in way over her head. I know she loves her father and he is all she has left, but Cayden James is dangerous. He could kill her without meaning to," Lyla said.

"I know, by we can't talk her or Felicity out of it. And if James really has made a biometric scanner, Anna wants to use it to find Chase," Oliver said and Lyla went to a map she had laid out.

"This facility has eight ingress points. I've got six-man teams stationed at each, perimeter squads keeping watch, and drones flying surveillance," Lyla said.

"Helix has to be ready for all of that. And if it's true, Anna knows how to hack into A.R.G.U.S. drones," Diggle said.

"That's why we're here. Added support and the element of surprise," Oliver said with a hint of forced smugness.

"You think Felicity and Anna will be surprised that we're trying to stop them?" Curtis asked with a laugh, already dressed in his Mr. Terrific outfit. "Actually I am kind of surprised. I mean, you and Felicity have a history. Just kind of like "Oh, we're against each other" and Anna is your ward," Curtis rambled on.

"Let's have you and Dinah patrol the southwest. Stay on comms, okay?" Oliver asked, choosing not to say anything to what Curtis was asking.

"Uh, quick question," Curtis said, raising his hand like an elementary-school kid.

"Mmm-hmm. What do we do if they show up tonight?" Curtis asked.

"We stop them," Oliver said with finality.

* * *

Diggle stood with his wife as they watched the security cameras that panned the whole area. "Logistics calculates a 46% likelihood they'll try to breach through here," Lyla said, pointing at a spot.

"Okay. Then we'll be ready for them," Diggle said gravely, with his arms over his chest.

"We're not expecting Helix for another seven minutes, so would you like to use that time to tell me what I've done that's got you so angry?" Lyla asked, turning to look at him.

"Lyla, I'm not angry. But I am concerned. What did Felicity mean when she made that crack about you crossing a line?" Diggle asked. Lyla laughed mirthlessly.

"I can't even begin to fathom the amount of crap that Helix has put into Felicity and Anna's heads, Johnnie," Lyla said.

"But, Lyla, holding Cayden James without due process, and his daughter worried sick over him, that's not a bunch of crap. Anna will go over us just to save him," Diggle said.

"Cayden James is 20 times more dangerous than Snowden. We caught him trying to hack and A.R.G.U.S. transponder. If he got in, every NOC agent we have could be at risk," Lyla said.

"That sounds a whole lot like Amanda Waller," Diggle said, smacking his hands with his gloves.

"Waller's decisions seem a lot less wrong from this side of the desk, Johnnie. You can't judge me for that," Lyla said sadly.

"I'm not judging. I'm just worried. And I am worried what Anna will do because of this. Anna has lost her whole family, not counting her father. It was all done right in front of her. Felicity Smoak and Anna James are two of the best people I have ever known, and they've gone over to the dark side. I don't want that to happen to my wife," Diggle said. Lyla walked away without an answer, leaving Diggle at a loss on how to stop Anna and Felicity from saving Cayden and how to stop his wife from turning into Amanda Waller.


	10. The Rescue Starts

Chapter 10- The Rescue Starts

Anna and Felicity entered an abandoned factory and saw Alena and the others preparing for the rescue mission. "Alena, we're here," Felicity called out.

"That's great. Anna, are you sure you want to do this? We could rescue your father and bring him to you," Alena said.

"No. I can do it, Alena. He is my father. But can you give him this? I won't be able to leave with you as, if I leave, it'll raise too many questions," Anna said, giving a letter to Alena.

"All right. I just hope your father won't be upset at it," Alena said.

"You and me both, Alena," Anna muttered under her breath. Her father didn't really have a temper problem, but when she was little he had given subtle ways to hint that he was angry.

"I've done a lot of illegal things, but none of them ever required heavy weaponry. Or any weaponry," Alena said as she looked at the gun in Felicity's hand.

"You know, I found the transition between hacker to vigilante to be surprisingly straightforward. You're gonna do great," Felicity said with a smile.

"And besides, we have enough firepower to invade Russia," Anna commented as she picked up a taser.

"Well, hopefully, we won't have to," Alena said.

"I think we might. They know we're coming. They know I'll do anything, short of killing, to rescue Dad," Anna said.

"I'm not worried," Alena said with her own smile as a man came to them with a different weapon that Anna didn't know the name for.

"In case you need them," the man said.

"No. I mean, even if we do, I'm not using that," Felicity refused quickly.

"A.R.G.U.S. will have guns," Alena pointed out.

"I thought you said no one was gonna get hurt. That we were just gonna grab Dad and get out," Anna said, furrowing her forehead.

"If we do this right, no one will. Wait for my signal," Alena said, handing Felicity an earwig.

"I hope we won't live to regret this," Anna muttered.

"I thought you wanted to rescue your father," Felicity said.

"I do, but I don't wanna die or kill anybody else just to do it," Anna said, biting on her lips nervously.

"We probably won't hurt anyone, Ann. Like you were told, we'll just rescue him and get out," Felicity said.

"Why does that not reassure me? I think my recent vampire novel is less complicated than this prison break," Anna said, rolling her eyes.

"You read vampire novels?" Alena asked.

"Actually I don't, but this is different than most Dracula films or tragic vampire romances as the man who wrote it put a Christian bend on the tale," Anna said as she put on a dark jacket to hide her dark turtleneck and black pants.

* * *

Oliver stood on top of the roof of the A.R.G.U.S. compound as he waited for Helix, Felicity, and Anna to make their prison break. Oliver still hated having to be against Felicity and Anna, but he also didn't want to get Chase their way either. "I thought you were standing post with Lyla," Oliver said as Diggle joined him as they looked down on the A.R.G.U.S. parking lot.

"Seemed like a good idea to put some space between us. Felicity and Anna aren't the only ladies who thinks the ends justifies the means," Diggle said.

"When Lyla, Felicity Smoak, and Anna James are willing to cross the line-" Oliver started to say.

"Makes you wonder if there even is one, right?" Diggle said.

"We got incoming. Tango's in the field," Lyla said over the earwigs he and Diggle were wearing.

"Copy that," Diggle said as they put on their head gear.

* * *

In the van that Anna, Felicity, and the members of Helix were in, they all primed their weapons. "What's that?" Felicity asked, looking at a tablet Alena was holding.

"Think of it as a weaponized tablet preloaded with Address Resolution Protocol Spoofing. The A.R.G.U.S. site is protected by microchipped gun turrets," Alena said smugly.

"Right. This will shut them down?" Anna asked, raising a light eyebrow. Alena's smile was an affirmative.

"You sure you're both ready for this?" Alena asked.

'I'm not sure if I am, but it's my dad. We have to save him," Anna said.

"Let's do this," Felicity said as everyone either put on a mask or a hat and the driver stopped the van. Felicity looked at Anna as both took deep breaths. This exercise of breathing as they waited for the guard to pass them was a good way to calm Anna's racing heart. She found herself wondering what her father would think of her rescue attempt. Anna heard a metal detector and her heart nearly stopped.

"Identification please," a guard out of sight said. Anna felt relief as the van started up again.

"That was too close," Anna whispered under her breath to Felicity.

"No kidding, but no way it can be that easy," Felicity whispered back.

* * *

Up on the roof, Oliver watched as the guard passed the van. "It's not them," Oliver said with a heavy resignation as he lowered his gun.

"Lyla, sitrep," Diggle said, touching his earwig.

"The van checked out. It wasn't Helix. We have a problem," Lyla said, the words Oliver had come to dread since he had become the Green Arrow.

* * *

All of them exited the van. Shipping containers? "Wait, this isn't A.R.G.U.S.," Felicity said as she and Anna looked around.

"No, it is. Just not the site A.R.G.U.S. expected us to hit," Alena said as they moved around the containers. Anna didn't know what they were looking for and she hoped Alena clued them in.

* * *

"What problem?" Diggle asked his wife annoyed.

"Helix is about to extract Cayden James," Lyla said.

"How? They're not here," Diggle asked.

"Neither is Cayden James," Lyla said.

"And you didn't tell us?" Diggle asked in surprised shock.

"I didn't think it was necessary," Lyla said, sounding unapologetic.

"Where is he?" Oliver asked.

"At an off-the-books black site, 12 miles away," Lyla said. Oliver looked at his friend, who shook his head in mute disgust.


	11. Second-Hand Information and Rescue

Chapter 11- Second-hand Information and Rescue

"Lyla, you should have let us in on the plan," Diggle exploded to his wife.

"Helix wasn't supposed to know about the black site. No one was," Lyla said, still not showing any remorse for her actions.

"That's because it's illegal," Diggle ground out irritably.

"I'm not discussing this, Johnnie. Get your head in the game. You're two minutes out," Lyla said. Diggle felt very put out. He would discuss this with Lyla later when he had cooled down and he had made sure that Anna was still alive. His wife not telling anything could cost Anna her life.

* * *

Anna ducked as bullets from automated stations went past her ears. She let loose on her taser as they made their way through the shipping containers. "Where has the tablet been all my life?" Felicity enthused, holding the tablet Alena brought in her hands.

"I made it special for you. So much better than a friendship bracelet," Alena said as Felicity hacked into the weapons towers and the guns powered down and lasers criss-crossed a shipping container in front of them.

"Whoa. How are we gonna find Cayden James?" Felicity asked as the ducked behind another container.

"I know he's inside one of these containers, but I don't know exactly which one. Can you check to see if there is a site map?" Alena asked.

"Uh, guys, what about that one? Whatever A.R.G.U.S. is keeping in there, they wanna keep it secure," Anna said, pointing to the container as they peeked around the one they were hiding behind.

"Or whoever. Like your father," Alena said as they went to the container.

"Yeah. Felicity, try to shut down the lasers," Anna said.

"I'm on it, Ann," Felicity said, using the tablet as Alena pulled out the two keys she got from A.R.G.U.S.

"Two air-gapped, unhackable keys. It's beautiful tech, really," Alena said in awe.

"Free Dad now. Admire A.R.G.U.S. tech later," Anna said as she went to the container and she and Felicity unlocked it.

"One," Felicity said.

"Two," Alena said after her.

"Three," Felicity said and they turned the keys. They opened the container, revealing a lone figure, with a hood and a strait-jacket. Anna felt her breath catch.

"Dad? Dad, it's me, Anna," Anna said softly as she knelt in front of him.

"Anna? Anna?" Her father's voice asked groggily.

"Hey. Hey. It's okay, Daddy, this is a rescue," Anna said, wrapping her arms around her father's neck and hugging him tightly.

"Anna, we gotta move. Team Arrow will be here any minute," Felicity said.

"I doubt that very much. They have no clue we're here," Alena said as gunshots fired.

"Uh, Alena, are you sure?" Anna asked, placing her hand firmly on Cayden's shoulder.

"Do not say "I told you so." Meet us out back in five," Alena said, wagging her finger at Felicity.

"Where are we going?" Felicity asked as Anna and Alena fumbled with the clasps over Cayden's chest.

"We're gonna go say hi to yours and Anna's friends," Alena said as she and Felicity went out.

"Okay. I guess I'm the one who has to release you, Dad. You help me help him up once I get these released," Anna said to one of Alena's henchmen. She fumbled with the clasp.

"Anna?" Cayden asked.

"It's okay, Dad. I'll have you out in a minute. I promise," Anna said.

"My Anna," Cayden said sluggishly as they grabbed his arms and helped him up.

"All right, Dad. Just a few steps. The van's outside," Anna said as they made their way to the van. Bullets ricocheted as soon as they got him inside. Anna looked up to see Oliver pointing a gun at them.

"Next one goes in his head," Oliver said, pointing the gun at Cayden.

Anna kissed her father's cheek through the hood and moved to block him from view. "Then it'll have to go through me. Alena, go! Get my father out of here!" Anna barked.

"Get out of the way!" Oliver shouted.

"You know we can't do that. I was really hoping you wouldn't!" Felicity said, raising the laser field to keep him from running after the van as it drove off.

"Oliver, don't move. That is a 30-kilowatt spectral beam laser. It'll cut you to the bone. Curtis will let you out. Me and Felicity are sorry. I am. I'm really hoping that you're gonna understand after we get Chase," Anna said, tears coming to her eyes. Oliver raised the mask shielding his face.

"Don't count on it, Anna," Oliver said as she and Felicity turned and followed the van back to Helix.

* * *

Cayden blinked his eyes as the hood was removed. "Anna? Anna?" Cayden asked, looking around.

"Cayden, she's not here. She stayed at the containers to make sure you got away. She said she couldn't come with us as it will raise too many questions. She gave me this to give to you, hoping you'll understand once you read it," Alena said, handing Cayden a letter.

"Read it to me, Alena. I can't see without my glasses," Cayden said.

"Okay. _Dad, if you are reading this, I am sorry for how this had to happen. I have chosen to stay behind as my leaving will raise way too many questions. I hope that when things die down you can come back. I will be waiting for you. In the meantime, me and my friend, Felicity Smoak need to ask you for a favor. Alena told us you had designed a biometric tracker. Please, Dad, we need it to hunt down Adrian Chase. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. Me and Felicity will come by Helix to pick it up. I understand if you don't want to give it to us. I love you, Anna._ Well, what are we gonna do? Are we gonna help Felicity and Anna?" Alena asked.

"Yes. Take me to Helix. I know where I put the tracker," Cayden said, swallowing his grief that his daughter wouldn't come with him. But at least now he knew where she was.

* * *

Anna looked around Helix, or what used to be Helix. It had been completely emptied out, with nothing that could ever say her father's hacker group had ever been there. "Hello, Dad? Are you here?" Anna asked, hoping that, maybe, Cayden hadn't left yet.

A big screen flipped on to reveal Alena. "Hey, Felicity, Anna," Alena said with a smile.

"Hi. Where are you and Dad? Are you okay?" Anna asked.

"We're safe. Thank you for all your help. And your dad understands why you couldn't come, Anna. But here's the thing. Your connection to the Green Arrow and his team, it's a liability," Alena said with a wince.

"Yeah. Well, once we get Chase, he'll see all the good Helix can do," Felicity said.

"I'm sorry, but we just can't risk it. Especially not with Cayden back in the fold and A.R.G.U.S. looking for him. I loved getting to work with you both. And, Anna, your dad says that when things die down we can come get you and the two of you can be together," Alena said.

"Okay. Alena, tell Dad that I love him," Anna said, feeling tears sting her eyes.

"I think he already knows that, but I will. Meeting your heroes, it turns out it's not so bad after all. But we left something for you. Look down. Up a little bit. Little bit to the right," Alena said and Anna picked up an envelope.

"This?" Anna asked.

"What is it?" Felicity asked.

"Some on-the-fly coding from Mr. James," Alena said as Anna pulled out what looked like a thumb drive.

"Is this the tracker?" Anna asked.

"Yeah. Told you he was the best there ever was. Take care, Felicity, Anna," Alena said.

"Yeah, you too," Felicity said and the screen went dark.

* * *

Cayden came into the room as Alena ended the call. "Is my daughter all right?" Cayden asked.

"Yeah. She told me to tell you that she loves you," Alena said. Cayden smiled briefly.

"I know that already as I just reread her note," Cayden said. Cayden had managed to replace his glasses and had read his daughter's clear print quite a few times.

"So, what next?" Shech asked.

"We regroup, Mr. Shech. I want to build up Helix again and then go get my girl," Cayden said with a note of finality. It would take a few months, but Cayden knew what he was doing.


End file.
